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Remote Work and the Heterogeneous Impact of COVID-19 on Employment and Health

Author

Listed:
  • Angelucci, Manuela

    (University of Texas at Austin)

  • Angrisani, Marco

    (University of Southern California)

  • Bennett, Daniel M

    (University of Southern California)

  • Kapteyn, Arie

    (University of Southern California)

  • Schaner, Simone G.

    (University of Southern California)

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment and respiratory health for remote workers (i.e. those who can work from home) and non-remote workers in the United States. Using a large, nationally-representative, high-frequency panel dataset from March through July of 2020, we show that job losses were up to three times as large for non-remote workers. This gap is larger than the differential job losses for women, African Americans, Hispanics, or workers without college degrees. Non-remote workers also experienced relatively worse respiratory health, which likely occurred because it was more difficult for non-remote workers to protect themselves. Grouping workers by pre-pandemic household income shows that job losses and, to a lesser extent, health losses were highest among non-remote workers from low-income households, exacerbating existing disparities. Finally, we show that lifting non-essential business closures did not substantially increase employment.

Suggested Citation

  • Angelucci, Manuela & Angrisani, Marco & Bennett, Daniel M & Kapteyn, Arie & Schaner, Simone G., 2020. "Remote Work and the Heterogeneous Impact of COVID-19 on Employment and Health," IZA Discussion Papers 13620, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp13620
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Demirel-Derebasoglu, Merve & Okten, Cagla, 2022. "Gendered Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Transitioning from University to Labor Market: Evidence from Turkey," IZA Discussion Papers 15169, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Brandily, Paul & Brébion, Clément & Briole, Simon & Khoury, Laura, 2021. "A poorly understood disease? The impact of COVID-19 on the income gradient in mortality over the course of the pandemic," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    3. Davide Torre & Danilo Liuzzi & Rosario Maggistro & Simone Marsiglio, 2022. "Mobility Choices and Strategic Interactions in a Two-Group Macroeconomic–Epidemiological Model," Dynamic Games and Applications, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 110-132, March.
    4. Gianni De Fraja & Jesse Matheson & James Rockey, 2020. "Zoomshock: The geography and local labour market consequences of working from home," Discussion Papers 20-31, Department of Economics, University of Birmingham.
    5. Daniela Del Boca & Noemi Oggero & Paola Profeta & Maria Cristina Rossi, 2021. "Did COVID-19 Affect the Division of Labor within the Household? Evidence from Two Waves of the Pandemic in Italy," Working Papers 2021-043, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    6. Hafiz Suliman Munawar & Sara Imran Khan & Fahim Ullah & Abbas Z. Kouzani & M. A. Parvez Mahmud, 2021. "Effects of COVID-19 on the Australian Economy: Insights into the Mobility and Unemployment Rates in Education and Tourism Sectors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-17, October.
    7. Audrin, Bertrand & Audrin, Catherine & Salamin, Xavier, 2024. "Digital skills at work – Conceptual development and empirical validation of a measurement scale," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    8. Rachid Laajaj & Camilo De Los Rios & Ignacio Sarmiento-Barbieri & Danilo Aristizabal & Eduardo Behrentz & Raquel Berna & Giancarlo Buitrago & Zulma Cucunubá, 2021. "SARS-CoV-2 spread, detection, and dynamics in a megacity in Latin America," Documentos CEDE 19152, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    9. Faustine Kede Ndouna & Roger Tsafack Nanfosso & Jean Aristide Biloa Essimi & Laurent-Fabrice Ambassa, 2021. "The Informal Sector Facing COVID-19: The Case of Cameroon," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-17, November.
    10. Yichen Shen & Rong Fu & Haruko Noguchi, 2021. "COVID‐19's Lockdown and Crime Victimization: The State of Emergency under the Abe Administration," Asian Economic Policy Review, Japan Center for Economic Research, vol. 16(2), pages 327-348, July.
    11. Agnieszka Grzelczak, 2021. "Remote Work and its Consequences for the Employee in the Time of the Covid-19 Pandemic," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(Special 5), pages 399-411.
    12. Andrea Flores & George-Levi Gayle, 2023. "The Unequal Responses to Pandemic-Induced Schooling Shocks," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, vol. 105(1), pages 51-65, January.
    13. Ilan Strauss & Gilad Isaacs & Josh Rosenberg, 2021. "The effect of shocks to GDP on employment in SADC member states during COVID‐19 using a Bayesian hierarchical model," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 33(S1), pages 221-237, April.
    14. L'aszl'o Czaller & GergH{o} T'oth & Bal'azs Lengyel, 2021. "Vaccine allocation to blue-collar workers," Papers 2104.04639, arXiv.org.
    15. Shen, Lucas, 2023. "Does working from home work? A natural experiment from lockdowns," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    16. Blázquez, Maite & Herrarte, Ainhoa & Moro-Egido, Ana I., 2023. "Gender differences in the effect of teleworking on job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    17. Palacios-Lopez,Amparo & Newhouse,David Locke & Pape,Utz Johann & Khamis,Melanie & Weber,Michael & Prinz,Daniel, 2021. "The Early Labor Market Impacts of COVID-19 in Developing Countries : Evidence from High-Frequency Phone Surveys," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9510, The World Bank.
    18. Lei Ding & Julieth Saenz Molina, 2020. "“Forced Automation” by COVID-19? Early Trends from Current Population Survey Data," Community Affairs Discussion Paper 88713, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
    19. Osuna-Gomez, Daniel, 2023. "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on post-great recession entrants: Evidence from Mexico," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    20. Martyna Joanna Surma & Richard Joseph Nunes & Caroline Rook & Angela Loder, 2021. "Assessing Employee Engagement in a Post-COVID-19 Workplace Ecosystem," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-20, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; employment; working from home;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor
    • J6 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers

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